Abrading apparatus



June 25, 1968 R, FLAlG 3,389,507

ABRADING APPARATUS Filed Oct. 21, 1965 FIE--2- INVENTOR. RA YMO/VD A.FLA/6 ATTORNE Y5 United States Patent M 3,389,507 ABRADING APPARATUSRaymond A. Flaig, San Mateo, Calif., assignor to Flaig Enterprises,Incorporated, San Francisco, Calif., a corporation of California FiledOct. 21, 1965, Ser. No. 500,413 11 Claims. (Cl. 51--8) ABSTRACT OF THEDISCLOSURE An abrasive apparatus having an adjustable orifice foradmitting abrasive from a hopper to a delivery line, the adjustableorifice being provided by a tapered conical member movable axiallytoward and away from the open end of the delivery line, the orificebeing kept open by applying suction at the orifice through an axialpassage in the conical member which communicates with the intake side ofthe fan used to circulate the abrasive laden air from the abrasiveblasting station to the hopper.

This invention relates to abrading apparatus, and more particularly toadjustable apparatus for varying the amount of abrasive used forabrading in dry honing apparatus.

Abrading or dry honing apparatus used for cleaning metal parts such asautomobile valves, pistons, and body parts, conventionally utilize avery fine abrasive. Because of the extremely fine nature of theabrasives used, the angle of respose is very high and it has beenditficult to feed the abrasive from the supply chamber into a lineleading to the blast nozzle of the apparatus without fiuidizing theabrasive material. Fluidizing of the material may be accomplished byinjecting air from beneath through a porus partition so as to causeabrasive above the partition to boil up and move around in the air inthe supply chamber.

Moreover, abrasive particles of dilferent sizes are needed for differentcleaning operations, and accordingly it is highly desirable that theabrading apparatus be adapted to accommodate various sized abrasives.Heretofore, this has been somewhat difiicult due to the rather rigidlyconstructed and non-adjustable abrading apparatus. Furthermore, theparticles of abrasive tend to accumulate around the inlet of the lineleading from the supply chamber, thus clogging the line, and therebyreducing the efiectiveness of the abrading apparatus.

One of the important objects of the present invention is the provisionof abrading apparatus which is adapted to utilize abrasive particles ofdiiferent and varying sizes, thereby increasing the effectiveness andversatility of the abrading apparatus.

Another object of this invention is the provision of abrading apparatuswhich is adjustable to permit the delivery of more or less abrasive froma supply container to the blasting nozzle.

A further object of the present invention is the provision of apparatusof the class described in which novel means is provided for prevent-ingthe accumulation of abrasive particles around a line leading from thesupply container, thereby reducing the likelihood that the delivery linewill become clogged with abrasive particles.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of abradingapparatus such as describ d in which the system for forcing air andabrasive particles through the apparatus also provides the force whichremoves the abrasive particles from adjacent the delivery line toprevent clogging.

A further object of the present invention is the provision of abradingapparatus of the class described which includes means for removingmoisture from the abrasive 3,389,507 Patented June 25, 1968 particles asthey are circulated through the abrading system.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of apparatussuch as described which is simple and economical in construction, yeteffective in operation.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent as thespecification progresses, and the new and useful features of theabrading apparatus will be fully defined in the claims attached hereto.

In the accompanying drawings, in which one of various possibleembodiments of the invention is illustrated,

FIGURE 1 is a view and side elevation of an abrading apparatus of thisinvention, certain parts being broken away and removed for clarity; and

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged fragmentary section of FIGURE 1.

Referring now to the drawings, an abrading apparatus of this inventionis shown generally to comprise a containing means 11 for holding asupply of abrasive material, a blasting nozzle 13, a delivery line 15opening at one end 17 into the containing means 1.1 and connected at theother end 19 to the nozzle 13. Forced air means 21 is provided forforcing air from the container 11 into the delivery line 15 so that theabrasive is carried into the line by the air forced thereinto. A flowcontrol member 23 has an inner end 25 located adjacent the end 17 ofdelivery line 15 for blocking a portion of the inlet 27 of the deliveryline. Means 29 is provided for permitting adjustment of the flow controlmember 23 to vary the effective size of the opening 27 at the one end 17of the delivery line.

The nozzle 13 is enclosed within an abrading station or cabinet 31 inwhich the articles or parts to be cleaned 0r abraded are placed. Airunder pressure is supplied to the nozzle 13 by a line 33 connected withan air pressure source (not shown) for forcing or blasting abrasive ontothe parts being cleaned. The spent abrasive and air within the cabinet31 is removed therefrom through a return line 35 by a blower 37 anddeposited in a cyclone separator and hopper device 39. Hopper 39 isconnected to container 11 so that the abrasive particles will pass fromthe former to the latter.

The flow control member 23 includes an elongated stem 41 having athreaded portion 43 engaged with a side wall of the container 11. Ahexagonal head 45 is adapted to be grasped by a tool, such as a wrench,for turning the flow control member and thus moving it toward and awayfrom the inlet 27 of delivery line 15. Nuts 47 are provided for lockingthe flow control member in a desired position. The inner end of the stem41 is tapered as indicated at 49 and the stem extends substantiallycoaxially with the delivery line 15, i.e., the stern extendssubstantially normal to a generally vertical plane in which the inlet 27lies, so that movement inwardly or outwardly toward or away from theinlet 27 causes the effective size of the inlet to be varied. Thisadjustment permits the inlet 27 to accommodate different sizes ofabrasive particles.

Flow control member 23 has a centrally extending passage or bore 51extending from its inner end .to its outer end and the outer end of themember is connected by a line 53 to line 35 ahead of the connectionthereof with blower 37. It will be seen that blower 37, when operated,creates suction in lines 35 and 53. The suction in line 53 is exerted atthe inner end of the stem 41 so that abrasive particles will be pulledaway from the inlet opening 27 to prevent clogging of the latter.

A bag of dessicant 55 may be placed in the container 11 to removemoisture from the air and abrasive particles as they are circulatedthrough the system.

Assuming it is desirable to use the apparatus for abrading someautomobile parts, for example, operation of the apparatus is as follows:

First, the parts are placed in the cabinet and the latter is closed toprevent any leakage of abrasive and air. The blower 37 is energized,thus creating a low pressure or suction on the inlet side thereof andcreating a high pressure on the outlet side thereof. The high pressureon the outlet side of the blower 37 is exerted inside the hopper 39 andcontainer 11 so that the particles are circulated and blown around in aboiling manner. The low pressure or suction on the inlet side of theblower 37 creates suction in the cabinet 31, which may be devoid at thepresent time of any abrasive material. The suction on the inlet side ofthe blower is also applied through line 53 and bore 51 to the inner endof the fiow control member 23. This suction causes any abrasiveparticles which tend to accumulate around the inlet 27 to be suckedthrough the bore and line 53 to the blower 37 where they are forced backinto the hopper 39.

As soon as the nozzle is operated by the operator, i.e., as soon as airis permitted to flow through line 33 into the nozzle, abrasive particleswill flow through the inlet 27 and delivery line 15 to the nozzle underat least two forces. One force is that exerted by the suction created inthe line 15 when the air delivered through line 33 rushes past theoutlet 19. The other force is that exerted by the high pressure withinthe hopper 39 and container 11 in combination with the low pressure inline 35 and cabinet 31 which causes the abrasive particles and air to becirculated through the system. While suction is still applied throughbore 51, this suction does not significantly affect the quantity ofabrasive particles that are delivered through the delivery line 15 tothe nozzle 13.

As soon as the nozzle 13 is closed, i.e., as soon as the delivery of airunder pressure through line 33 is terminated, the abrasive particleswhich have been drawn to Ward the inlet 27 tend to accumulate around thelatter and thus form a solid blocking partition. However, the formationof such a blocking partition is prevented by the suction exerted throughline 53 and the bore 51 in flow control member 23. As mentionedpreviously, this suction causes any abrasive particles which are tendingto accumulate around the inlet 27 of the delivery line 15 to be suckedaway therefrom and into the bore 51. From the bore 51, the particles areconveyed through the line 53 and blower 37 back into the hopper 39.

If it is desired to use abrasive particles having a different size, suchas a larger size, the flow control member may be backed off, i.e., movedto the right as viewed in FIGURE 2, so that the annular orifice providedat inlet 27 is increased to accommodate the larger particles. Similarly,if it is merely desired to provide a large orifice or opening for somereason, the flow control member 41 may be moved to the right as viewedin FIGURE 2. For example, creating a larger orifice at inlet 27 with thesame size of a particle would decrease the velocity which the particleshave as they are drawn into the delivery line 15.

In view of the foregoing, it will be seen that the apparatus of thisinvention provides an effective method of adjustment so that theapparatus can accommodate different sizes of abrasive particle material.It will also be seen that the apparatus prevents any undue accumulationof abrasive particles around the inlet 27 of the delivery line so thatthe latter does not become clogged.

As various changes could be made in the above constructions withoutdeparting from the scope of the invention, it is intended that allmatter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanyingdrawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limitingsense.

I claim:

1. Abrading apparatus comprising a container for holding a supply ofabrasive, a nozzle, a delivery line having an opening at one endcommunicating with container and connected at the other end to saidnozzle,

means for forcing air from said container into said delivery line, theabrasive being carried into said line by the air forced into the line, aflow control member having one end adjacent said one end of saiddelivery line for blocking a portion of the delivery line opening, saidflow control member having a bore therein opening adjacent said one endof the flow control member, and means for applying suction to said boreto remove abrasive around said delivery line opening when abrasive isnot being forced through said delivery line.

2. Abrading apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said delivery lineextends into said container, said flow control member beingsubstantially coaxial with said delivery line and having said one endthereof tapered, said flow control member being adjustable toward andaway from said delivery line opening to vary the effective size thereof.

3. Abrading apparatus comprising a container for holding a supply ofabrasive, a nozzle, a delivery line having an opening at one endcommunicating with said container and connected at the other end to saidnozzle, means for forcing air from said container into said deliveryline, the abrasive being carried into said line by the air forced intothe line, and means for applying suction adjacent said delivery lineopening when air and abrasive are not being forced through the line toprevent accumulation of abrasive around the opening.

4. Abrading apparatus comprising a container for holding a supply ofabrasive, a nozzle, a delivery line having an opening at one endcommunicating with said container and connected at the other end to saidnozzle, means for forcing air from said container into said deliveryline, the abrasive being carried into said line by the air forced intothe line, a flow control member having one end adjacent one end of saiddelivery line for blocking a portion of the delivery line opening, meansfor adjusting said flow control member to vary the effective size of theopening at said one end of the delivery line, and a means located insaid container and formed for absorbing moisture from the air and theabrasive in the container.

5. Abrading appaartus comprising a container for holding a supply ofabrasive, a nozzle, a delivery line having an opening at one endcommunicating with said container and connected at the other end to saidnozzle, means for forcing air from said container into said deliveryline, the abrasive being carried into said line by the air forced intothe line, a flow control member having one end adjacent said one end ofsaid delivery line for blocking a portion of the delivery line opening,said flow control member extending substantially normal to a planecontaining said delivery line opening, said one end of said flow controlmember being tapered, said flow control member being adjustable towardand away from said opening to vary the effective size of the opening atsaid one end of the delivery line, said flow control member having abore therein opening adjacent said one end of the flow control member,and means for applying suction to said bore to remove abrasive aroundsaid delivery line opening when abrasive is not being forced throughsaid delivery line.

6. Abrading apparatus comprising a container for holding a mixture ofabrasive and air, a delivery line connected to said container, said linehaving an open inlet in the container and an outer end outside thecontainer, the abrasive and air being adapted to flow from saidcontainer into said inlet and to said delivery line when the pressure atsaid outer end is less than the pressure at the inlet, and a flowcontrol member having one end adjacent said inlet end for blocking aportion of the latter, said flow control member being adjustable to varythe effective size of said inlet, said flow control member being formedwith a passage therein opening at a point adjacent the inlet of saiddelivery line, air and abrasive being sucked away from said inlet andinto said passage upon the application of suction to the passage so asto prevent accumulation of abrasive adjacent said inlet.

7. Abrading apparatus comprising a container for holding abrasive, anenclosed abrading station, a nozzle in said station, a delivery linehaving an opening at one end communicating with said container andadapted to be connected at the other end to said nozzle, a return lineconnecting said station with said container, means for circulating airfrom said container through said delivery line, nozzle, enclosed stationand return line back to said container, abrasive being carried by theair as the latter is circulated, and means for applying suction adjacentthe delivery line opening when air is not being circulated to preventaccumulation of abrasive around said opening.

8. Abrading apparatus as set forth in claim 7 wherein said means forapplying suction adjacent the delivery line opening comprises a flowcontrol member extending into said container and having one end adjacentsaid one end of said delivery line for partially blocking the deliveryline opening, said control member having a passage therethrough openingat one end adjacent said delivery line, and means for applying suctionto the other end of said passage to suck air and abrasive away from saiddelivery line opening and through said passage.

9. Abrading apparatus as set forth in claim 8, and wherein said meansfor applying suction to the other end of said passage comprisescommunicating said other end of said passage with said return lineupstream of said means for circulating air.

10. Abrading appaartus comprising a container for holding a mixture ofabrasive and air, a delivery line connected to said container, said linehaving an inlet end in the container and an outlet end outside thecontainer, the abrasive and air being adapted to flow from saidcontainer into said inlet and through said delivery line when thepressure at the outlet end is less than the pressure at the inlet end,and means for applying suction adjacent the inlet end of said deliveryline when air and abrasive are not being forced through the line toprevent accumulation of abrasive around the inlet end.

11. Abrading apparatus comprising an enclosed hopper formed for holdinga supply of abrasive, a delivery line having an open end positioned insaid hopper to receive abrasive therefrom, nozzle means at the other endof said delivery line, an enclosed abradiing station accommodating saidnozzle means, a return line communicating with said enclosed abradingstation and said enclosed hopper, fan means interposed in said returnline for forcing air therethrough from said station to said hopper, aflow control member of tapered form mounted in said hopper in coaxialrelation to said open end of said delivery line for selective movementtoward and away from said open end to define an adjustable orificetherewith, said flow control member having a central passage formedtherethrough and a line communicating said passage with the intake sideof said fan means for applying suction and removing accumulated abrasivefrom said adjustable orifice.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 709,448 9/ 1902 Shaver 51--12727,030 5/1903 Tilghman 51---l2 847,269 3/1907 Wise 51--12 911,4312/1909 Nichols -1..- 51-12 3,271,903 9/1966 Gregory 51-8 LESTER M.SWINGLE, Primary Examiner.

